Midnight's Curse
by darkheart753
Summary: Summary inside. If you like werewolves, you might like this.


This is my very first horror fiction

Sorry it took so freaking long to finish this. I started it back in February.

Summary – A young hedgehog, after being bitten by a mysterious creature, must fight to keep his life.

Rating – T for violence, mild language, brief strong language, one case of 'high hedgie', and brief crude humor

Disclaimer – I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any other famous stuff. If I did… I'D BE RICH, BEEYOTCH!

_Midnight's Curse_

Shadow sat high up in a tree, his legs dangling freely below him. On the ground, several citizens were strolling through the park on their late night walks.

How he loved this time. So quiet… so peaceful. Sonic and his cronies were all at home, either gorging themselves on dinner, being read bedtime stories, or sleeping. The crisp December night air lingered around Shadow's body and cooled his sweating body.

The day's events never had ceased. First an attack from Eggman, then the Babylon Rogues, and then another disaster that Shadow ended up having to fix. Sonic's vacation was putting a heavy strain on the young black hedgehog. But he couldn't disturb his friend's only time to relax in five years because of a lack of rest and a few minor aches and pains, by Shadow's standards.

Those 'minor aches and pains', as Shadow called them, were these among others: a long scar over his right eye that threatened infection, his broken left forearm, a fractured ankle, and a shattered tail bone. Nothing major. He could still fight. He didn't need help. Besides, with all his friends on vacation, Rouge in Paris, Knuckles in Tokyo, Tails in Washington D.C., and Team Chaotix off in Mexico, the only people left to ask were Team Rose, who Shadow wouldn't ask if his life depended on it, and Sonic. That left him to fight all the battles by himself with E-123 Omega in the shop.

Exhaustion plagued his senses, clogging his nose and deafening him. Shadow knew that if he didn't get at least an hour of rest, he'd very likely knock out in his next fight.

That's what his life had become; an endless cycle of fight after fight, brawl after brawl. He felt himself getting weaker sooner. Just the day before, within five minutes of fighting, his breath had become ragged. And Eggman was catching on. Every day, he brought more robots for Shadow to tangle with.

He hadn't showered in weeks. He hadn't slept in a month. Most of all, he hadn't eaten since Sonic went on vacation; there wasn't any time.

Shadow sat and waited for midnight, when the city would be deserted. Then, he jumped from his oak perch and washed himself in the lake, thoroughly enjoying the cold, December waters. Then, his clothes still on, he dived down into the depths to relax in an underwater cavern.

The cool rocks felt soothing on his burning body. He felt like he was on fire, but he was shivering. Shadow's quills dangled at his back, soaked and heavy with water. He lifted himself from the ground and walked to his storage tunnel, where he kept a loaf of bread and clean clothes. He changed quickly and wolfed down a chunk of the French bread. Then, it was back to his nightly patrol.

In the middle of his perimeter check, he heard something in the forest headed for the town. He turned to the thick woods and leered, straining his sight to identify a shadow that was moving towards him like lightning.

Whatever it was, it leaped out of the woods and hit Shadow to the ground, pinning him to the dirt. The young hedgehog strained against the creature's grip, but to no avail. It growled fiercely and brought its face an inch from his, its pungent breathe burning his nostrils. It smelled like dried blood and rotting flesh and Shadow had to force himself not to gag.

Without warning, the creature reared its big, dark brown head and sank its teeth deep into his shoulder. Shadow howled in pain and kicked it off, staggering to his feet. Instead of attacking him, it just ran off. He raised an eyebrow as he examined the wound.

Blood leaked down his arm and he could see his vision failing. He reeled back to town and into the park, where he climbed a maple tree and sat where he wouldn't be noticed. He grimaced at the teeth marks and tore off his sleeve, tying it tight around his shoulder and leaning back on the trunk. Without noticing, he faded off into a sleep.

- - -

The next morning, Shadow woke to a shock. For one thing, he wasn't hurting at all. He had thought the wound would be throbbing the next morning, but it didn't sting at all. He looked at his left arm. He lifted it. He spun it around. He hit it with his other arm. It didn't hurt. His arm was healed. He looked at his ankle and did the same. Nothing. He touched his eye. The scar had sealed. It wasn't healed, but close enough for him. And, he didn't feel tired at all. He had only slept half an hour, but he wasn't tired.

He jumped out of the tree and landed, to his surprise, and the surprise of passersby, on all fours. Shadow stood erect quickly and, another shocker, prowled to Sonic's house.

He knocked on the door, puzzling over why so many people had been staring at him, and waited for Sonic to come. His blue friend answered the door and his eyes doubled in size, staring at his dark companion. "Can I help you, sir?" He asked.

"Sonic, are you smoking something? Hello? SHADOW TO SONIC. COME IN SONIC." Shadow answered, waving his arms.

"Shadow? Uh… you look… different." Sonic pointed out, scratching the back of his head.

The black hedgehog raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean, different?"

"How can I put this?" Sonic asked himself. "Different, as in, com-PLETELY changed. Like, three-sixty twist."

"Three-sixty twist? Are you pulling my leg?" Shadow asked, crossing his arms nonchalantly.

"Dude, look in the mirror." Sonic led his friendly rival to the main hall and pushed him in front of the mirror.

"Look, I don't know what the b…" Shadow began, dusting himself off as he looked up at the mirror. His jaw dropped as he looked at himself.

For a moment, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. In the mirror stood a three foot three hedgehog… _with icy blue eyes, brown shaggy fur, black highlights, and a mouthful of dagger-like teeth_. "Please tell me this is a trick mirror." He finally managed to choke out.

Sonic stood next to him to show him it was no trick. In the mirror, Sonic looked normal. He was a blue hedgehog with emerald eyes and no chest fur, but normal by his standards.

Shadow whimpered as he felt something touch his neck. He turned his head. _It was his own tail_. "HOLY HELL!"

"That's an oxymoron." Sonic pointed out, laughing.

"This is no time for jokes!" Shadow whined, his voice raised an octave. "I'm a brown hedgehog with black highlights, ice for eyes, shaggy fur, and a tail twice my body length! THIS. IS. NO. TIME. FOR. JOKES." He panicked. He felt his body fidgeting as he turned back to the mirror, running his fingers through his hair. "Rouge is going to be home tomorrow. I can't let her see me like this."

"So your highlights washed out. Big deal." Sonic shrugged.

Shadow looked enraged, his cold, blue eyes boring into Sonic's with anger. "They. Weren't. HIGHLIGHTS!" He roared. "THAT WAS MY NATURAL COLOR!" He grabbed Sonic's chest and brought him an inch away from his face. "My. Natural. Color. HOW COULD IT WASH OUT?" He moaned, dropping the hedgehog and holding his right forearm in front of his eyes.

"Now Shadow, calm down. There's a logic-… what happened to your arm?" Sonic asked, pointing to the torn sleeve Shadow had on his arm.

"What, that?" Shadow inquired. "Aw, that's just a little scar."

"From what?" Sonic persisted, untying the makeshift bandage. "HOLY CHRIST!" He dropped the cloth and revealed what was underneath. In the dark of the night, those teeth marks had developed a mark.

The undisputable mark of a cursed soul.

"Holy crap!" Shadow gasped, staring at his shoulder. He looked up at Sonic. "That. Was not. There. Last night." He explained.

"This happened last night?" Sonic shouted, looking irritated. "Why didn't you come tell me?"

"It was on the night patrol and I assumed you would be asleep. Seeing as you're on vacation I didn't want to bother you with it." Shadow shrugged. "I didn't want to make you get a restless night over a little bite."

"Little bite my tail!" Sonic growled.

"Speaking of which…" Shadow began, staring at his tail and crouching down. Then, for some reason, he started to chase it.

Sonic was speechless, staring at his shadowy friend as he chased his tail. "Dude?" He finally managed to speak up.

Shadow looked back at him, sitting on his haunches. "What?"

"Okay, first you look different, now you're acting like you should be on a leash." He explained.

"A leash? Why would I need a leash?" Shadow asked, scratching himself behind the ear with his foot.

"You're acting like a dog!" Sonic finally shouted.

Shadow looked at himself and (yep) yelped. He jumped up and punched himself in the chin. "What's wrong with me?" He growled, glaring at his fingers. "Dare I?" He broke off. Carefully, he peeled off one glove and stared at the palm of his hand. "Oh. My. God. I HAVE A PADDED HAND." He stammered, showing his friend the darkened skin. Then, he smacked his forehead. "I hope this is just a crazy alien mid-life crisis."

"Dude. You're immortal. You're not about to have a mid-life crisis." Sonic rolled his eyes and shook his head at the ultimate life form.

Shadow glowered at Sonic. "This is serious! What if sh…" He broke off, smelling the air.

For some reason, Shadow could feel his senses sharpening. His nose was picking up smells that had to be a hundred miles away, maybe further. His ear twitched as he heard a cat digging around in the trash and a squirrel scamper up a tree. He flexed his dark hands and smirked, his eyes flashing. Without another word, he ran out the door past Sonic and into the woods where the creature had come from.

Sonic cursed under his breath and grabbed his coat, running after the hedgehog. When he caught up with him, however, Shadow was on all fours, cornering a red squirrel. From the pit of his throat came a deep, ferocious growl and he licked his chops, pouncing on the squirrel. The blue hero's jaw dropped as his friend turned towards him with the squirrel's tail sticking out of his mouth.

_And blood trickling down his chin._

"Did you just…" Sonic began.

Shadow tossed the tail up in the air and swallowed what remained of the squirrel whole, licking his lips as he stood up. "What?" He asked nonchalantly.

"You just ate a squirrel!" Sonic gasped, pulling his ears down. "A SQUIRREL!"

Shadow didn't seem phased.

Sonic groaned. "You just killed the most harmless creature in the world and sent it down your gullet! _WHOLE_!"

"I did?" Shadow coughed and looked at his hand, raising his eyebrow. He sniffed a small red stain on it. _Blood_. His eyes widened. "I did." He staggered back slightly and pressed his back against a tree, shaking his head. "How could I have?" He asked himself. "I don't remember anything… I remember I was in the middle of asking 'What if she saw me like this', then I smelled something… and another… something… took control. I don't know what happened." He explained slowly, mulling the words over.

"Maybe… it had something to do with that bite on your shoulder?" Sonic suggested.

Shadow looked back at the marking. One half looked like a hedgehog skull, but the other looked like a wolf skull. "Hmm… where have I seen that mark before?" Shadow asked himself. He looked at Sonic and scratched his head, this time with…

Thick, black, sharp claws.

Sonic's eyes widened as he pointed at the hand with his shaking hand. "C-C-C-C-C-Claws…" He stammered. "Y-You have c-c-c-c-c-claws…"

Shadow looked at his fingers and (yeah) yelped. "What the hell is happening to me?"

Sonic took Shadow back to his house and sat him down on the couch. He started pacing back and forth as the dark hedgehog's eyes followed him.

Minutes turned into hours. Shadow started to get bored and leaned back on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table. The day dragged on.

Finally, at five in the afternoon, Shadow was curled up on the couch asleep and Sonic finally said something. "I'VE GOT IT!" He shouted.

Shadow jumped and uncurled quickly. "I wasn't asleep! I was… dosing!" He lied quickly.

"What? Never mind." Sonic replied. "Did you see what bit you?"

"Of course not. It was only pinning me down to the ground, standing on top of me and digging its claws into my arms as it sank its big, gold teeth into my shoulder. How could I have possibly seen it?" Shadow ranted sarcastically.

"What did it look like?" Sonic persisted.

Shadow sighed and shut his eyes, trying to remember. "A big… red… wolf-like creature… with golden eyes… shaggy fur… big teeth… and a very strong pair of jaws."

"How do you know the jaws were strong?" Sonic asked.

"I don't know, maybe it had something to with the fact that IT BIT ME!"

"Sorry." The blue hero shrugged. He then got a shocked look on his face and ran over to his bookcase.

"This is no time to be reading." Shadow grumbled, following Sonic.

"I'm not looking for a folktale! I'm looking," Sonic explained, pulling a thick, purple book off the shelf, "for this." He blew some dust off and revealed the title of the book in faded, gold letters: Mythical Beasts and Their Legends.

"Are you kidding me? YOU JUST WANTED TO READ ABOUT A FRIEKING HYDRA?" Shadow groaned.

"No." Sonic flipped through the pages and turned to a photo with a large creature with the same features Shadow had described. "Did it look something like this?"

Shadow examined the picture. "Yeah."

"Oh, god." Sonic smacked his forehead and pointed to the name of the creature.

_Werewolf_.

"A _werewolf_. You think a _werewolf_ bit me." Shadow replied, raising an eyebrow. "Are you joking? Werewolves aren't real."

"Explain why you've been becoming more like a dog." Sonic snapped back. "Enlighten me." He crossed his arms, waiting for Shadow's response.

"Uh…" Shadow began. "Alien puberty? I don't know!" He grumbled, turning away and crossing his arms. "I'm not Tails."

"Okay, it's decided. You've been bitten by a werewolf." Sonic confirmed.

Shadow groaned. "Brilliant. Just bloody brilliant. How the hell do I explain that to Rouge?"

"I don't know. Counseling?" Sonic shrugged.

"THIS IS A MAJOR CRISIS! I'm to sexy to be a werewolf!" Shadow gasped.

Sonic rolled his eyes and patted his friend's shoulder. "Relax. I'm sure it's nothing serious. It's not the end of the world."

"_YOU_ are not hunted down by humans. _YOU_ don't have any major problems in your life. So don't tell _ME_ if it's the end of the world or not. _YOU_ mind _YOUR_ business and _I_ will mind _MY_ business." Shadow snarled, more roughly than he had planned.

Sonic lowered his ears and put up his hands defensively. "I was just giving you an opinion. I was trying to cheer you up. Chill."

Shadow grunted in recognition and walked over to the door. "If you need me, I'll be in the mountains." He opened the door and closed it behind him as he left, running through the town at break-neck speed to get out.

- - -

That night, Shadow was sitting in the mountains staying out of the moonlight, huddled up in the corner of a dark cave. _I can't go. I can't see Rouge. Not until I find a cure._ He shut his eyes and lowered his head, resting it in his arms. _If I do…_ he stopped thinking and looked up, noticing a couple of small stone debris tumbling down. _Uh-oh._

He got up and ran to the other half of the cave so none of the debris would hit him. A large chunk of the roof fell down where he had been sitting and the moonlight shined in his eyes and all over his body. A deep growl emitted from his throat and he looked down, feeling a stabbing pain all over his small body. He dropped to his knees and grabbed the back of his head, groaning in pain. His groan soon changed as he lifted his now wolf-like head and howled at the moon.

- - -

At Westopolis Airport, Sonic was picking Rouge up when they both heard the howl. It was faint, but defined, and Sonic recognized immediately the deep sound. "No way."

"What was that?" Rouge gasped, hugging Sonic's arm.

"I have a hunch… but you're not going to like it." Sonic explained.

As they walked to the car, Sonic explained what had happened to Shadow. "WHAT? HE GOT BITTEN BY A WEREWOLF?" Rouge shouted.

"Keep your voice down." Sonic urged. "If he finds out I told you, he'd never forgive me."

"You told him you wouldn't tell? How could you?" She snapped.

"It's easy to explain. You should have seen how he reacted when he discovered it was a werewolf. He said he didn't want you to see him like this." They heard another howl and a small, brown hedgehog with black highlights and ice blue eyes charged past.

"HEY!" Rouge shouted. The hedgehog skid to a stop and ran down an alleyway. Rouge grunted in anger and ran after him. "WAIT UP!"

Finally, at city limits, the hedgehog stopped and turned, noticing she was chasing him. He growled and approached her. "Why are you following me?" It growled.

"What's your name?" Rouge asked.

The hedgehog lowered his head and backed up. "I can't tell you."

"Yes you can… wait. I know who you are." Rouge confirmed. She smirked playfully. "The highlights are different, but I know who you are. You're Shadow."

Shadow backed up, shaking his head. "I have to go. If the moon…" He stopped as the moon shone on his body. He snarled as his fur got shaggier and he began transforming into a werewolf. He shook his head and howled, his fur covering his body completely.

Rouge gasped and backed up, shaking. Shadow walked over to her and smacked her to the ground with a thick paw, pinning her down. Her eyes filled with fear as she gazed up at her friend. He curled his upper lip into a sneer and growled, rearing his head like he was going to bite her.

Then, something clicked, like a memory, and Shadow jumped back, releasing his shaken captive. He slowly closed his mouth and looked at Rouge, his eyes filled with sorrow. With a snort, he turned and ran off as fast as he could, pausing at the top of the hill to look back.

A tear slid down Rouge's cheek as she watched the ex-member of Team Dark shrink into the distance. She sighed and took her cell phone out and speed-dialed Sonic.

- - -

The next morning, Shadow woke up in the forest, his shoulders aching. He looked at his right shoulder and yanked out the cause: a bullet. _Ugh… what happened last night_, he thought, _why was I being shot at?_ Then he remembered. _That's right. I… oh, no._ He looked down at his hands and recognized the crimson stains. _Blood. Either I harmed someone, or…_ he lost his train of thought as he heard someone coming.

Shadow got up quickly, too quickly, and jumped into the trees, ignoring the headache he had given himself. He watched from the shelter of the foliage as none other than Sonic the Hedgehog stopped below. "SHADOW? ARE YOU THERE? HEY!" He shouted, turning his head back and forth to try and catch just a glimpse of the cursed hedgehog.

Without thinking, Shadow snarled, "What do you want?" Sonic looked up at him, and all he could see was those icy eyes… those piercing, icy eyes.

"There you are. Where have you been?" Sonic asked. "I've been looking for you for hours."

"Why do you care where I've been? It's none of your concern." He growled back.

"Sheesh. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the tree." Sonic joked.

Shadow jumped down and landed on all fours, sitting on his haunches. "I stand by what I asked. What do you want?"

"Dude, do you have any idea what you almost did?" Sonic ranted.

"Cut to the chase." Shadow replied nonchalantly. "Why did you come looking for me?"

"Answer my question." Sonic snapped.

"Answer mine and I'll answer yours. Not in any other order." Shadow answered. "Otherwise, I've no reason to stay." He began examining the black claws that were extending from his fingers.

"Alright. Rouge is worried about you. She sent me to look for you. Dude, we're both scared for you. I figured out the cure, but it takes ingredients that even I can't get. Some of them we need you to get." Sonic explained, kicking the dirt.

"Maybe I like being a werewolf. My strength is increasing, my senses are hyperactive, and I can take out anyone who crosses my path even easier. In fact, at this point I'm disputing whether or not to take off your head." Shadow barked insouciantly. He lifted a paw to his face and yawned. "You bore me." He started grooming himself with his paw, similar to how a cat does it.

"Fine. But there's something you should know about werewolves. A lot of them… a lot of them end up hurting the ones they love." Sonic explicated. "Have you ever watched _Van Helsing_?"

Shadow licked the back of his wrist and ran it over his right ear, shutting his eyes. "Yep." He looked over at the blue hero. "Why?"

"Didn't you pay any attention? At the end of the movie, when Van Helsing was still a werewolf, he killed the girl!" Sonic shouted.

Shadow winced from the volume of the shout and tilted his head. "So?"

"Who's to say that won't happen with you and Rouge?" Sonic continued.

Shadow arched his back and lowered his head. "Who said I liked her like that?" He snarled, getting up and baring his teeth.

Sonic looked Shadow over and noticed that his upper leg muscles had devolved into what they would have been had he been a normal wolf. "You're becoming more feral by the moment." The blue hedgehog pointed out. "Never mind. Rouge said to tell you to meet her in Glyphic Canyon at sundown."

"Sundown?" Shadow raised an eyebrow and looked at Sonic, sniffing the air. "Why sundown?"

"How the hell should I know?" Sonic hissed.

Shadow rolled his eyes and scratched himself behind the ear. "Whatever." Releasing a large yawn, the cursed hedge-wolf got up and started padding over towards Glyphic Canyon. "Tell her I'll wait for her there." Sonic sighed and watched his friend leave before turning and leaving himself.

Somewhere in the nearby bushes was a small red-and-yellow spy fly. On its back was a cracked egg symbol. It quickly put away a tiny camera and flew off.

- - -

Shadow sat on the largest rock in the middle of Glyphic Canyon and took to grooming his shaggy fur. _If she doesn't show up by the time the sun dips behind the mountains, I'm leaving._ He growled to himself, licking the fur on his front right leg. The sun was about halfway to the mountains from the center of the sky, so he guessed it was about four in the afternoon. _Why would she want to meet at sundown? I almost hurt her last night. She's seen just how strong I can be. And the moon wasn't anywhere near… wait… tonight…_ He looked up at the sky and chuckled. _Rouge, you even impress me. I would've never thought of that. Clever, batgirl. Very clever._

Shadow's ear stood up and he turned his head behind him. A rabbit was scampering by the rock he was sitting on, pausing to sniff a cluster of clovers. Without a sound, he leaped into the air and pinned it to the ground underneath his massive front paws. It gave a dismayed squeak as he bit down on its head and tore it off, chomping down the sweet flesh and crunchy bone.

Within moments, he finished the remains of the fresh carcass, leaving only the tail and a few organs for the buzzards to pick at. Licking his chops, he jumped back up onto the big rock and lied down. _Rouge won't be here for a while. I have time to relax._ He yawned and, without noticing, drifted off into a calm slumber.

Minutes turned into hours and at about seven fifteen, Rouge came flying up, searching for her friend in the canyon. She spotted his dark fur against the sandstone quickly and landed in front of him. "Shadow!" She hissed, "Hey, Shadow!" She stamped her foot on the ground and cupped her hands around her mouth. "SHADOW, WAKE UP!"

Shadow snorted and lifted his head, blinking sleep from his eyes. He yawned, sitting up and stretching his body and legs. "What? I was just dosing." He grumbled sleepily and scratched himself behind the ear with a heavy back paw. "Oh, Rouge. What took you so long?"

"Unlike some people in Sonic's crew, I have a job." She snapped.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Shadow barked back, lowering his head and snarling.

"Now, Shadow. You know I didn't mean it to be insulting to anyone." She added quickly, relieved to see his muscles relax and his head lift back up into a non-threatening position.

He stood up on his back legs with a little effort and achieved a bipedal position so that the two of them were eye-to-eye. Rouge was surprised to see how quickly his leg muscles switched from quadruped to biped. "Shall we walk and talk?" He suggested, clasping his paws together behind his back.

"Why not?" She replied, walking along a path next to her ever-changing friend.

- - -

Somewhere in Mystic Mansion, Dr. Eggman was sitting watching a little video. On his keyboard sat a tiny gold and crimson spy fly with a cord running to his monitor.

"_Maybe I like being a werewolf. My strength is increasing, my senses are hyperactive, and I can take out anyone who crosses my path even easier. In fact, at this point I'm disputing whether or not to take off your head." Shadow barked insouciantly. He lifted a paw to his face and yawned. "You bore me." He started grooming himself with his paw, similar to how a cat does it._

"So, Shadow has been turned into a werewolf, eh?" Eggman cackled. "This could work to my advantage. If he's occupied at night by being a werewolf without control of his abilities, maybe I can take that opportunity to… heh… borrow them." He smirked and turned around. "DECOE! BOCOE! GET ME MY CARDS!"

"Coming, sir!" Bocoe shouted, scrambling towards the fat villain with a deck of cards. "Here you go, your evil geniusness!"

"Courtesy of Decoe and Bocoe, sir!" Decoe added, tumbling into the room.

Eggman snatched the deck and looked at a couple of the cards. "Hmm… this is a tough choice. Do I want the Egg Drainer, the Egg Catcher, or the Egg Sealer?"

Decoe and Bocoe both stood at attention. "How about you use all three, sir?" They suggested in unison.

"An excellent choice!" He gasped, dropping the cards onto the keyboard. "I'll get right on it!" He ran down the hall and out to the Egg Carrier, where he had left his keys.

Decoe looked up at Bocoe. "Dr. Eggman is too ashamed to go by Dr. Robotnik, never wins, and treats us like scrap metal. He doesn't deserve our help. Let's go tell Sonic his plan. Maybe we can help _him_ instead."

"That's a good idea, Decoe. Why didn't I think of that?" Bocoe 'smirked' and followed his shorter companion out the door.

Eggman ran back into the room. "I almost for-… hey! Where'd they go?" He looked around and shrugged.

- - -

"Tails, how's the antidote coming?" Sonic asked. He was sitting on a couch in Tails' workshop, watching the young fox work his tails off.

"LEARN SOME PATIENCE! I JUST GOT HOME NOT EVEN AN HOUR AGO! GIVE ME TIME!" Tails snapped back.

"Sorry. I'm just worried about Shadow's well being. Someone needs to worry about it." Sonic groaned. "If he gets in trouble with GUN one more time, he'll be the most wanted hedgehog on Mobius."

"I know." Tails sighed. "I worry about him too. And we're just his friends. I can only imagine how much Rouge worries about him. She loves him, y'know."

"Yeah, I know. And he's told me he loves her too. But he thinks she loves Knuckles." Sonic explained. "And he thinks he'd be better for her, seeing as he has something to offer her. He says all he has to give her is his heart, and Knuckles can give her so much more. A house to live in, protection from everyone who would dare harm her, and he can provide for her. Shadow's so hated everywhere he wouldn't be able to get a job even if he tried." The blue hero sighed and shook his head. "The guy fights every time a massive planetary security issue rises and what does he have to show for his effort? He risks his life and the humans turn up their noses. I can't believe they could be so conceited. But at least I can understand why he hates them. They take everything from him. They took the only family he had; they take his life away by forcing him to be constantly in hiding… it's not fair. They take everything, but he still risks his neck to save them."

"He does that because he knows that there're a couple decent ones among them… like Chris Thorndyke… and if Mobius were destroyed, we wouldn't have anywhere to go…" Tails confirmed, pouring a green liquid into a beaker filled with an orange dusty substance. It turned red and started bubbling. He slowly added some heat with a Bunsen burner and turned towards Sonic. "This'll be ready in a couple seconds." Carefully, he dipped a syringe into the liquid and sucked it all into the containment tube. "Now all we need to do is get Shadow here and give him this. There's only one downside."

"What's that?" Sonic asked.

"Well… ittakesalotofenergytokeepyourselfalivewiththisstuffbecauseit'sreallydraining sowe'llneedtosealhiminthatcontainmentpodandforcehimtogotosleepwhiledevotingonehundredpercentofhisenergyintoitorhecouldgointocardiacarrest." Tails replied quickly, hoping Sonic wouldn't catch it all.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HE COULD GO INTO CARDIAC ARREST?" Sonic gasped. "ARE YOU SAYING HE COULD DIE FROM THIS CRAP?"

"It's the only antidote. I'm sorry, but there's really nothing I can do to make it safer without risking it not working." Tails answered, lowering his head. "I'm really sorry."

Sonic sighed and looked at his eight-year-old follower. "It's okay if there's really nothing you can do. We'll just need to find a way to get him here…" The blue hero scratched his chin thoughtfully.

- - -

"That was a good idea to meet today of all days." Shadow complimented Rouge as they walked towards her house.

"I know. Am I brilliant or what?" She asked, smirking.

"You're brilliant." Shadow answered, smiling.

It wasn't a taunting smile, one he'd show normally. There wasn't any jeer to it. In fact, it had a sort of warm outlook to it. Then, he frowned and looked down at his shoes. Rouge raised an eyebrow and tried to put her arm around his shoulders in an attempt to learn what was wrong, but he silently pushed it away and shoved his hands into his pockets.

_No, Shadow._ The black hedgehog thought, _Don't do this to yourself. You don't have anything to offer her. No car, no house…_ his thoughts trailed off, _You're always in hiding. That's no way of life for her. You have to stay by yourself until you can either offer her something to live with or get off the most wanted list._ He sighed and wrapped his tail around his waist.

"Shadow…" Rouge began.

"Don't start this." He answered slowly, shaking his head.

"Start what?" She looked hurt.

"Just don't." He sighed and looked away, hugging his arms. "It's hard to explain what."

"Shadow, talk to me. Please." She begged, turning his head back towards her. "I want to know what's bothering you."

"I don't know." He replied, shutting his eyes. "I just don't know."

"Please tell me." Rouge implored. "I want to help."

Shadow remained silent. Then, he opened his mouth to say something. Just as he started to make a sound, he heard a crash behind him and turned his head around quickly, his body following. His dark ear pricked and he lowered his head, baring his fangs and snarling. "Later!" He barked in response, crouching down to all fours and charging off towards the sound. Rouge sighed and flew after him, unsure if it was the right thing to do.

As they reached a clearing, the snow danced around their bodies and they looked up. Floating above their heads was none other than Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Behind him stood three robots, all of which clad in gold and red armor. Shadow smirked sadistically and started cackling.

"So, this is what you bring to fight? Three miniscule robots that don't stand a chance against me or the bat when we're alone!" The dark hedgehog acknowledged with callous. "You're even more pathetic than I thought, Doc."

"Ah, Shadow, in that you're more wrong than ever! These are the Egg…" Ivo began.

"How did I know they'd start with egg?" Shadow snorted, shaking his head. "How about you call it something more… what's the word I'm looking for… menacing? The only thing some 'Egg Scrambler' or whatever you named it would strike fear into would be a frying pan. The way you cook, you could burn water." He mocked.

"As I was saying, these are the Egg Drainer, the Egg Catcher, and the Egg Sealer! WAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Let me get this straight: the initials of your robots are EC, ES, and ED? That's massively messed up." Shadow taunted. "Whaddya say to you just leaving and saving everyone the grief of wasted time?"

"NO WAY! EGG CATCHER, GET THAT HEDGEHOG!" The doctor shouted at the top of his lungs.

Shadow rolled his eyes and flicked his tail, crouching onto all fours and charging into battle.

Shadow's muscles rippled as he tore over the terrain towards the robot, his paws slamming against the grass and leaving a wall of dirt flinging up on both sides from his sheer speed. The toes of his shoes tore away, revealing the transformation his feet had undergone. They were completely coal black, and as the rest of his shoes fell apart, it was revealed that his claws were non-retractable. His gloves fell off, leaving only the rings and ebony paws.

Shadow dipped his head down to run faster and his belly lightly scraped the ground as he bunched up his back legs and shot into the robots outstretched arms, ready to claw its motherboard out.

Sonic came running and saw his dark counterpart attacking the robot. "Whoa!" He shouted, skidding to a stop. "Hey, save some for me!" He shouted playfully, Spin Dashing to the robot's chest.

To both Sonic's and Rouge's surprise, Shadow used his large right front paw to smack Sonic out of the way. The blue hero landed on the ground with a thud and looked up, stunned.

"This is my fight! Stay out of it!" The ultimate life form shouted, never ceasing his onslaught on the robot.

Sonic sighed and walked over, standing by Rouge. "Bet time?" He asked.

"Bet time. Sixty bucks on Shadow for fight one, forty bucks on Shadow for fight two, but fifty bucks on challenger for fight three." She nodded.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think he'll lose fight three? We're talking about Shadow here."

"Well, right now he's using up a ton of his energy in this fight, I'm guessing in the next fight he'll use the last of it and in the third he'll get caught." Rouge explained.

"That's a good point. I'll take those bets and raise them fifty each." Sonic replied. "And if you take it, you already owe me a hundred and ten: look."

To the young bat's horror, her best friend had been caught in the Egg Catcher's vice-like grip, his legs kicking as he struggled to break free. "LET ME GO!" He howled, writhing in the robot's hands.

"That won't be happening any time soon, Shadow. Egg Drainer, do your thing!" Dr. Eggman shouted.

Rouge gasped as the Egg Drainer approached her dark friend, the hands turning into a pair of pincers.

Not even flinching, Shadow smirked. "I just hope it isn't defined by its initials." He laughed. "Almost gets there, but trips at the finish."

"NOW!" Eggman shouted. A thick syringe jutted out from the robot's hand and it stabbed the blade into Shadow's side.

The young hedgehog howled in pain as a soupy red and black glowing liquid oozed into the tube. "No… you… don't!" He growled, bending his knees and managing a kick at the syringe. The glass shattered and the liquid disappeared back into his body. "Don't think I don't know what that was, either!"

"What was that, Sonic?" Rouge gasped, covering her mouth.

Sonic stared in awe at the Egg Drainer. "That was… no… oh, no."

"What?" She asked frantically.

"That was Essence of Chaos. How did he figure out how to harvest it?" He snarled in response.

"What's Essence of Chaos?" Rouge inquired.

"It's the physical form of Chaos Energy. All creatures have _some_ Essence of Chaos, but it's hard to harvest. Trying to get it out of the body takes both massive energy _and_ the will to… to…" Sonic trailed off.

"What?" She begged.

"The will to kill." Sonic finished. Rouge gasped in shock. "Without Essence of Chaos, life itself, even immortal life, ceases to exist. Essence of Chaos is the soul. Without a soul, there cannot be life. Without his high concentration of Essence of Chaos, Shadow will die."

"We have to stop Eggman!" Rouge snapped, crouching down and getting ready to attack.

Sonic silently shook his head. "Mortals have lower Essence concentration than immortals. Even if we tried, it'd be too easy for him to kill us, and it would all be for nothing." He glared up at Eggman, but said no more.

Rouge, on the other hand, did the exact opposite. "So you're just going to let him kill your best friend? I for one will not let that happen!" She leaped into the air despite Sonic's protest and shot towards not the robot or Shadow, but Eggman. Moving quickly, her thick boot connected with the self-proclaimed genius' chin and he was sent flying.

Shadow kicked the hands of the robot as fast as he could, struggling to get his body free. The Egg Drainer, however, would not relent, and tried to get him with another syringe in its other hand. This time, however, the dark hedgehog was too slow, and it sapped over half of the Essence of Chaos before he managed to kick it away. Unfortunately, he only broke the delivery rod, and the Essence was still in the tube.

He could feel the drain in his strength as his legs weakened and refused to kick, no matter how he tried. As his body went limp, the Egg Drainer threw him to the chest of the Egg Sealer, which received him like a football and stuffed him into a cage hand.

"Let's go." Eggman commanded triumphantly, floating off in his transport vehicle, followed by all three creations.

Rouge landed on the ground, defeated, and fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands. "Oh, no. Shadow… my best friend…" She sobbed. Then, Sonic noticed a change in her appearance; her ears flattened to her head in anger, and her wings stretched to a full menacing length. The crying ceased and she stood up, her body glowing with anger. She glared at the blue hero with burning viridescent eyes. "That was the last straw. He can destroy my home, murder innocent humans, and take over the world for all I care, but NOBODY TOUCHES MY SHADOW!" She snarled. Sonic recoiled and felt pity for Eggman, for he had invoked the rage of a woman.

- - -

The next day, Shadow stirred and struggled to open his eyes. He grunted softly and pulled himself up from a stone floor in Dr. Eggman's lair. He looked himself over and found that Eggman had left him just enough Essence of Chaos to live. "That son of a bitch." He muttered, picking up his legs and standing in the center of his cage. "Now what am I going to do?" He asked.

Almost at the same second, he figured out just how. He was going to retrieve his Essence of Chaos. Then, he'd teach Eggman to mess with an immortal's link to endless life and youth. But first, he needed a way out of his cage… and directions to his Essence of Chaos.

Shadow sat down and started cleaning dirt off his pelt. _At least I can still talk… but how long will that last?_

- - -

That night, at just a little after moonrise, the dark hedge-wolf lifted his dark head and smirked, noticing the cage keys hanging on a nail in the wall near his cage. _The fool,_ he thought to himself, chuckling inwardly. He lifted his body from the floor and trotted over, gazing up at the keys. _If I could just reach them…_ he thought. Looking around, he spotted a broken broomstick lying just outside his cage door. He stepped over to it and reached his arm out, slapping it closer with his paw. Carefully, he poked his head out from between the bars and picked it up neatly between his teeth.

Shadow sniggered, _what fool would leave such a handy key-retrieving tool next to the cage of a clever wild animal? Ivo Robotnik, that's the fool._ He smirked at his brilliance and jumped up on the wall, carefully slipping the broken rod into the key ring and pulling them off the nail.

Without making a noise, Shadow picked the keys off the rod and snuck over to the door. He poked his head out and slipped the key into the keyhole and gently turned it with a flick of his thick right paw. Gently, he nudged the door with his nose and it swung slowly open.

Smirking, he crept out of the cage and snuck over to the exit, hopping up on his hind legs and pushing it forward. To his surprise, Eggman hadn't left any guardbots at the exit. _What, does he want me to leave? Does he think I don't know he stole my Essence of Chaos? Obviously he knows nothing of the energy drain._ He thought absently, stalking through the halls and peering through the door windows to find that draining machine so he could destroy it and stop Eggman from stealing anyone else's Essence of Chaos.

About an hour later, after completely touring Eggman's wretched lair, Shadow finally found that evil machine stored in the massive garage. _Finally_, he thought. He turned his head to the left, to the right, and up to make sure there were no guardbots in sight. Then he snuck over to the control panel and, with a swipe of his huge paws, knocked off the side. It fell to the ground with a clang and he sniffed a couple wires. _Better be quick, someone will have heard that._ He clasped five wires in his mouth and snapped his jaws together, severing them from each other. He shook his head from the light electrical shock and continued tearing the rest of the wires apart.

Then, he climbed up into an opening he hacked into the machine and found the main fuel lines. With a smirk, he pulled back his arm and slashed them open. Oil was prompt in covering his body, and he looked over himself to find a coal dog instead of a brown hedge-wolf. _This could be useful, _he thought.

As fast as he could, he scrambled out of the machine and back into the main house. _Now to look for __**my**__ Essence of Chaos_. Shadow snarled inwardly and charged off, using the shadows to hide his mucked-up body.

- - -

Meanwhile, Rouge and Sonic were running up to Eggman's hideout. They hesitated, looking up at the castle-like domain. The bat's expression tipped the hedgehog off to her worry, and he broke the silence with a statement. "We should split up. We'll be able to cover ground twice as fast."

Rouge nodded briefly, kicking open the maple doors of the bastion. She looked in and ran up the stairs, inwardly praying that Shadow was still alive.

- - -

In Central City, Decoe and Bocoe were strolling around, looking out for the blue blur. "So where do you think he is?" Decoe asked.

"Look! A potato stand! LET'S HAVE A TUBER FIGHT!" Bocoe proclaimed, running towards the defenseless spud salesman.

- - -

In Dr. Eggman's storage room, Shadow's eyes couldn't believe what they saw. In that room was enough Essence of Chaos to power Westopolis for centuries! He began by examining the labels. One shelf was stacked with vials labeled 'Flicky male' or 'Flicky female'. Another next to that was piled high with vials labeled 'X Chao', 'Dark Chao', or 'Light Chao'. Still beyond those were hundreds of other shelves, all labeled in accordance to whatever poor animal they had been stolen from. The filthy hedgehog snuck down the hall, looking from left to right for his unique Essence of Chaos.

A look of shock crossed Shadow's face as he saw one particular vial labeled with a name he read that chilled him to the bone; **SYNGE THE HEDGEHOG**. He knew the name by heart and mind, a name he had known for over fifty years… the name of his older brother. Synge had gone missing even before the GUN soldiers destroyed the Ark. He had been assumed dead, but… the dark hedge-wolf sniffed the vial tenderly. The scent of his brother was changed, but fresh. Maybe his brother was still alive.

Shadow gently took the vial in his mouth, taking care not to damage the glass case. _I'll look for him later._ He ran down to the end of the hall and found his Essence of Chaos. Gently setting down the other vial, he picked up his own and tossed it into the air, jumping up to ram it with his head. The vial shattered, and glass showered the floor as the Essence of Chaos was absorbed into the hedge-wolf's body.

Shadow felt power pulsating through his reforming body as his own overtook the wolf Essence of Chaos. He regained his normal posture and cracked his knuckles, landing gently on the ground. The vial containing his brother's Essence of Chaos was still in tact, so he carefully picked it up and placed it in the pocket of his cloak. After picking up all the glass and stuffing it in a paper bag sealed with a staple, and with a satisfied sneer, he ran out of the room to find Dr. Eggman.

Dr. Eggman was in his chamber; sound asleep on a queen-size bed that hardly had enough room for his obese body. Shadow snickered at the disproportion of Eggman's body to his legs and stepped over to the bedside, an eerie black glow appearing around his right hand. Without a word, the dark hedgehog placed his glowing hand on the forehead of Professor Gerald Robotnik's grandson.

"You have caused this world enough headache. It's time for it to end." Shadow hissed uncannily, just as Rouge walked in. She gasped and covered her mouth to stifle any noise.

"Hey, you!" She whispered fiercely.

Shadow's concentration immediately shattered as his hand stopped glowing and he turned to face her, removing his hand from the doctor's forehead. He tilted his head to the left, silently begging her to say something.

"What are you doing here? Where did you come from? WHO ARE YOU?" She snapped, causing Eggman to stir.

Shadow clenched his teeth and quickly strode over to her, seizing her gently by the arm and dragging her out of the room, quietly shutting the door. "Keep your voice down." He whispered. "If he wakes up, my whole plan is going to the dogs."

"Well? Answer my questions and I'll be quiet. What are you doing here?" She growled.

Shadow sighed and shook his head. "I have two choices here. Either answer you verbally, or show you the answers."

"Whichever one takes longer. I'm not ready to shut up." She replied curtly.

"You are the most annoying person I've ever met." _Next to Sonic_, he added in his mind. "Alright, I was just retrieving something from Eggman that he stole from me and I was going to give him a little nightmare to remind him of who runs the show."

"Well, where did you come from?" she persisted.

The cloaked hedge-wolf shook his head. "This is hopeless. I came from the mind of a brilliant scientist and several ingredients used to bring back the dead."

"Yeah, right. Whatever. What's your name?" She hissed, getting ready to fight him. "I like to know the names of the people I beat."

"I don't want to fight you. But, alas, you seem insistent. Very well. If you can correctly answer my question, I will answer yours." Shadow answered mysteriously.

"Fine." She growled. "Then we fight."

"Fair enough. Shadow the Hedgehog is the final product of the combined prototype abilities of the Ultimate Life Form. Biolizard was one of the only two prototypes. What was the name of the other, who is responsible for Shadow's Chaos Blast, Chaos Destiny, and Chaos Flame?" He hated talking in the third person, but it was the only way to conceal his identity.

"That's easy. Synge." She guessed.

Shadow groaned and rubbed his eyebrows. "Damn it. Didn't think you'd figure that one out." He slumped against the wall. Then, he got an idea. "You know, you already know who I am."

"Really?" Rouge inquired, looking confused. "From where?"

"We've known each other a long time. We met before… once I saved you, once you saved me. You didn't have to, I didn't have to, but we did." He explained, making sure not to give it away. "Oh, yes. A long time indeed. Sonic and the rest of his friends know me too, but you know me the best. You know more about me than anyone else. Yet you don't recognize me?"

"What are you talking about?" She looked both intrigued and unsure at the same time.

"How could you not figure it out? I'm not even trying to mask my voice, and you don't recognize me." Shaking his head, he pulled the plastic bag from his pocket and tossed it into the air. "Maybe this will give you a hint."

Rouge caught it carefully and looked inside searching for the label. She was startled when she saw it amidst the shards in big, bold letters: **SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG**. She dropped the bag and stared at her comrade, who was busying himself with wiping the oil from his face with a handkerchief. She ran forward and wrapped her arms around his upper body, tears falling onto his chest.

Shadow's eyes widened in both relief and confusion as he felt her warm embrace. It was tight, yes, and he could barely get the air he needed, and Rouge sensed there was something different about him. Like a fire inside had started burning brighter than ever before.

She stepped back, raising an eyebrow. "Shadow, is something wrong?"

The dark hedge-wolf's shoulders slackened as he reached in his pocket, pulling out a vial filled with a black and orange glowing liquid. Without a word, he sighed and handed it to her. Rouge turned the vial over in her hands and her eyes widened when she saw the label. A chilling silence drifted over the room as Shadow opened the door. "I can't let this go unanswered. I'm going to put Eggman through the ultimate hell."

Rouge was shocked by her best friends malice and covered her eyes as Sonic ran in. The blue hero watched in horror as Shadow unleashed a power unknown to man… one he had never demonstrated—the Chaos Destiny.

The Chaos Destiny is the most powerful move in the world. Its user can control the destiny of anyone he or she wishes, including forcing his or her immediate death. However, it cannot mess with the free will of the victim: only their fate.

It was with this move that Eggman's heart stopped beating, and his body became colder than death itself as his Essence of Chaos evaporated. Rouge covered her mouth and shook her head, frightened by the ultimate life form's display of power. In Sonic's mind, there was no doubt: his rival was more powerful than anyone or anything on the planet.

It took lifetimes to master Chaos Destiny, and even then the users of the move seldom survived. Shadow was one of the few who could handle the drain, but at a terrible cost. Every time he used it, he would lose the strength to use it again for a year, and it quickened his metabolism by one month.

Without another word, Shadow strode between his two friends, plucking the vial with his brother's Essence of Chaos from Rouge's grasp and starting down the stairs. He paused halfway, noticing nobody was following him. "Are you coming or what?" He asked impatiently, not even turning his head. The rest of the small 'posse' ran after the hedge-wolf who had shrouded himself in a cloak of mystery.

On the way to Tails' workshop, Shadow overheard Sonic and Rouge having a small conversation. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was a psychopath."

"How could you say that about your best friend?"

"Rouge, he just _murdered_ Dr. Eggman. He isn't feeling any remorse; he _has_ no conscience; he's antisocial and violent; face the facts: you have a crush on a maniac."

"I can hear you, y'know." Shadow acknowledged, not even turning back. "And if you think for one second that was murder, you're nothing but a fool. I did the world a favor. Besides, he won't be missed. And he deserved it."

"You see what I mean?" Sonic hissed. Increasing his stride, he started walking alongside Shadow, who had his blood-red eyes fixed ahead. "Shadow, did you even feel anything after you killed him?" The blue hero insisted.

"Other than satisfaction, no." Shadow answered, never moving his head. "But when you think about it, it wasn't murder."

"What? YOU KILLED HIM! That's murder!" Sonic shouted.

"Quiet. And no it wasn't. The law defines murder as the killing of one human being by another. As you can see, I am far from human." Shadow explained.

"I'll say! For one thing, humans have a conscience!" The blue hero snapped.

"The humans showed no remorse for the death of Maria. They kill the innocent for being in league with someone who poses a threat to '_National Security_'. They murdered my creator and friends when I was young. Why should I show remorse for taking down one of them if they showed none for taking down one of their own?" The dark hedge-wolf reasoned. "My father was right."

**Flashback**

_Black Doom was floating in front of Shadow and his friends. The seven Chaos Emeralds were floating around Shadow's head as the alien spoke. "We're not here to enslave the humans. We offer salvation."_

"_What?" Shadow gasped._

"_Their greed, thirst for power, and affinity for betrayal have them on a path of self-destruction." Black Doom explained. "Their actions will lead to the extinction of their species. We're here to save them from themselves with our perfect order."_

**End Flashback**

"Shadow, snap out of it! Your father was going to use the humans as fodder for the Black Arms!" Sonic snarled at his friend, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. T  
he wind blew through Shadow's hair and he stared down at the ground. "He was crazy!"

"HE WAS MY FATHER!" Shadow roared, his back arching as he crouched into an attacking position. Saliva dripped from his fangs as he continued. "CRAZY OR NOT, HE WAS MY FATHER! IF IT WEREN'T FOR HIM, I WOULD HAVE NEVER COME INTO EXISTENCE!"

"How can you defend him? HE WAS A MURDERER!" Sonic growled back, crouching into his own fighting position.

"Foolish simpleton! Don't you hear what you say? Do you think before? False accusations, discrimination…" Shadow trailed off, his eyes lighting on fire. "You're no better than a human. You side with them. You talk like them." The dark hedge-wolf paused, turning his back on Sonic as his anger subdued. "Maybe you think like them too." He shut his eyes sullenly and walked away, his spirit utterly drained.

"What are you talking about?" Sonic asked.

"Great job, Sonic." Rouge snapped. "Shadow has now come to think that you resent his existence just like humans do. Congratulations. You just threw the ultimate life form into another state of deep melancholy." She finished, running after her former teammate, leaving Sonic feeling very guilty.

To both the surprise of Rouge and Sonic, Shadow disappeared in a puff of smoke. They stared at each other with confusion-filled eyes. "Where'd he go?" They asked in unison.

- - -

Meanwhile, Tails was running out of his base with a syringe in his pocket, looking for the same blue hedgehog. "I have to tell Sonic before its too late!" He shouted to himself, leaping into the Tornado.

Within moments, the Tornado landed right next to the cyan hero. "Tails!" Rouge shouted, pointing to the small fox in the cockpit.

The eight-year-old jumped down and started jumping up and down, pointing to the extra two seats. "There's not much time! You guys need to tell me where Shadow is! It's urgent!"

"We don't know. He's gone." Sonic answered.

"WE HAVE TO FIND HIM! IF WE CAN'T FIND HIM IN THE NEXT TWENTY-FOUR HOURS, HE'LL BE A WEREWOLF FOREVER!" Tails shouted.

- - -

Somewhere on Prison Island, Shadow was running deep in the forest, his feet pounding beneath him as they ate away kilometers. His hair blew behind him and his legs burned, but he kept running. He didn't know why, but he just wanted to run. He had no air shoes, but he could have sworn he was booking as fast as Sonic without them. Tears streamed down the sides of his face as he felt a hole widening in his heart. Maybe the Commander had been right to want him dead. If the humans hated him, and even his own best friend was mad at him, maybe he should be dead. But that blessing couldn't come. Not unless he could find an expert on killing the invincible. Alas, the only person he knew of who knew how to do that was… he remembered the vial in his pocket and skid to a stop.

Quietly, he hid behind a dead maple tree and pulled the vial out of his pocket, staring at the label: **SYNGE THE HEDGEHOG**. Could it be his brother still lived? He heard a twig snap nearby and jumped up into the upper branches. Peering through the thick leaves; he spotted none other than Knuckles the Echidna. Pure unadulterated hatred boiled up within his heart as he felt both anger and envy of him. He only had to make sure the Master Emerald stayed safe. Humans didn't hate him; they barely knew him. Shadow knew he'd give anything to be him, but he knew just as well that if that happened, he wouldn't be able to do whatever he wanted. Still, it was better than the constant pressure of being hunted by humans.

A question burned at the back of Shadow's mind; _Why is the Master Guardian on Prison Island instead of protecting the Master Emerald on Angel Island?_ He passed it off. Surely he had a good excuse. He didn't care, anyway. If the Master Emerald was stolen, it wasn't his concern. The only person who knew how to use it was Mephiles, and nobody had even seen him since Shadow got into that fight with him.

Could all this be really happening? He went through the events of the week. Sunday, he fought Eggman for fifteen hours straight. Monday, he stopped a volcano from erupting with a big boulder. Tuesday, he fought Eggman for sixteen hours. Tuesday night, a werewolf bit him. Wednesday, he woke up a hedge-wolf and got captured by Eggman, escaped Eggman, and killed him. _Today is Thursday_, he decided. _I never could get the hang of Thursdays. Always seemed to be my 'Wallow in Self-Loathing' days._

He sighed and blinked slowly, pondering his next step as a Chess champion would ponder which piece to move next. His eyes flashed as he figured it out; he would find Synge and give him back his Essence of Chaos. He'd work it out from there.

Without a sound, he teleported himself back to Eggman's base and started looking for clues as to where his brother was. He started in the room he had found all the Essence of Chaos in and found a desk near the back. Leafing through the pages of information he found on top of it, he found one that looked like this:

_**November 30, 1964**_

_**Subject**__  
Synge the Hedgehog_

_**Information  
**__Found on Prison Island running from soldiers  
Created by Professor Gerald Robotnik (Grandfather)  
Immortal Essence of Chaos_

_**Status**__  
Alive, but only just_

_**Location  
**__Cryogenic Freeze chamber_

_**Update-December 6, 2008**_

_**Subject**__  
Synge the Hedgehog_

_**Status  
**__Unknown_

_**Information**__  
Escaped from Cryo freeze with albino rat wearing brown cloak  
Destroyed several hundred robots before running off into Glyphic Canyon  
Suggested to be deep in the canyon_

_**Location**__  
Glyphic Canyon?_

Shadow smirked with satisfaction and folded up the paper, shoving it quickly into his pocket and running off to Glyphic Canyon. _If he's not there, maybe I'll find some clues._

- - -

Rouge was biting her nails as she flew high over Central City. She saw Decoe and Bocoe and decided to ask them if they had seen Shadow. "Hey!"

Decoe was the first to look up before getting hit in the head with a potato. "Bocoe! Look! It's that bat who's always hanging around with Shadow!"

"What's she hailing us for? Best go see what she wants." The two robots walked over to Rouge, potatoes ready to fire. "We have potatoes and we're not afraid to use them!"

"You nimrods. I just want to know if you've seen Shadow." She asked impatiently.

"Oh. Sorry, no. We'll keep an _eye_ out for him." Bocoe answered. "Get it? Eye? Like an eye of a potato."

"Oh brother." Rouge groaned, lifting off again.

- - -

Meanwhile, at Tails' workshop, he remembered something that would help their search. Without a moment's hesitation, he called everyone out searching and told them to come as fast as they could.

When Sonic finally got there (he had been searching on the Ark), Tails called everyone to attention. "I'm sure you all remember how in that fight with Biolizard, afterwards we found Shadow missing his right arm, correct?"

"Yeah." They all answered reluctantly.

"Well, I didn't tell anyone, but I installed a tracker in the mechanical replacement I made for him." He jumped over to his computer and started typing something into it. "If my calculations are correct, we should be able to find him with my computer. Then, we can send a group to go after him." Suddenly, a map of Mobius appeared. It zoomed into the area where most of the territories they had been searching in and a small Shadow symbol appeared over a deep crevice, moving slowly across the screen. "He's running in Glyphic Canyon." Tails confirmed.

Everyone turned as they heard the door slam and the familiar sound of Sonic speeding off as fast as his legs could carry him.

- - -

It was pitch-black in the depths of Glyphic Canyon, but there was a tiny golden glow of a Chaos Spear in Shadow's hand. The air was rank with the smell of mold and death. He grimaced as he noticed a cluster of bloodmold and kept looking around.

Glyphic Canyon was once the most beautiful place on Mobius. But then, before the planetary war between Exosphere and Mobius, everywhere on both planets had been beautiful.

Now, the canyon walls dripped with the long-dry blood of the innocent and was littered with skeletons of both humans and Black Arms troops. Even the ultimate life form, which had become very accustomed to smelling the blood of innocent souls, couldn't stand the smell.

Shadow soon found himself regretting that he had ever even learned his brother had been here.

Finally, after eight long hours of searching, he stumbled upon a campsite. There were two tents, both dark green, and between them was a fire, still smoldering. Shadow walked over and looked around the camp. There was a fresh woodpile, small meat storage, a hole filled with a few herbs and vegetables, and a pot filled with water. Come to think of it, he did remember almost stepping into a latrine a few meters back. His nose twitched with excitement at the smell of two creatures nearby. He crept over to one of the tents and peered in through the opening. There, lying on a pile of dirt and moss was a black and orange hedgehog, about twenty, with a scar on his forearm similar in appearance to the symbol of immortality.

The hedgehog appeared to be asleep, and from looking at his watch, Shadow discovered it was only two a.m., Friday. _If that's him_, he thought,_ if that's my brother…_ his thoughts trailed off as he heard a noise from the other tent. Without thinking, he jumped into the shadows and crouched, making sure he wouldn't touch any bloodmold.

Out of the other tent walked a tall, white rat with gray whiskers that drooped off his muzzle. He was wearing a brown cloak, and Shadow recognized him as the rat described on the paper. The rat's left ear twitched and it walked over to the other tent, waking up the hedgehog inside with a swift thud to the head.

"Ow!" came a more juvenile voice than Shadow had expected. "What was that for?"

"Young hedgehog, it is time to wake up." The rat replied.

"Aw, Master Ivory, do I have to? And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Synge?" The hedgehog complained, getting to his feet.

_He looks a lot like me_, Shadow thought. _The same highlights, the same silhouette, the same eyes… except orange._

"I believe you will find this to be a great time to get up." Ivory suggested.

_Uh-oh_ was the last thing Shadow could think of before he felt himself being lifted from the ground. He curled into a black and red ball to protect himself from whatever had done it and waited.

In fact, Ivory was telepathic and had levitated the ultimate life form. The white rat dropped Shadow between him and Synge and nodded towards the black and orange hedgehog.

"Uncurl yourself!" Synge barked. "Before I throw you into the bloodmold."

Shadow heard the threat perfectly and uncurled, immediately getting to his feet and drooping his ears to his head. He gulped and felt his wits and bravery drain out of him. All he could muster was a light whimper in his throat.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Speak up!" His brother continued.

Shadow shook his head and broke free of his momentary mental crash, beginning to glare at his brother. "Two things: one, don't yell at me. I've been trained in all forms of defense and will easily kick the crap out of you; two, if you threw me into the bloodmold, _Synge the Hedgehog_, you will be getting rid of the very last surviving member of your family. Got that?"

"Wh… b… th… and uh… but… wha… er… buh… huh?" Synge stammered.

Shadow smirked and looked down at the ground, shaking his head as he chuckled. "So… you've forgotten your past. I know how you feel. I just assume Gerald installed that into our main data banks seeing as I've forgotten almost all of my past at least thrice."

"…Are you pulling my leg?" Synge asked.

"You honestly don't remember me. That's all right. Perhaps this will jog your memory." The ultimate life form reached in his pocket and pulled out the vial with his brother's Essence of Chaos, handing it over without a second thought. "Break it over your head and let it fall onto you."

"Do as he says, young Synge." Ivory ordered. "What he says is true."

Synge nervously opened the vial and poured its contents over his ears. Suddenly, he felt a strange power welling up in his body and begging to be poured out as he heard a female voice in his ear. _Synge… your brother has brought your other half to you. He can teach you what he knows, but only you can find the limits of your strength. Do not be scornful of being taught by someone so young in reality. At heart, he is a true warrior who has lost more than you can imagine. He will enlighten you of what has happened since you went missing when he is ready. Help him let go of his emotions. Keeping them bottled up inside will only lead to his destruction. Tell him to stop living in the past and hurting himself for what he couldn't stop. Tell him to move on. And tell him that, even though he can't see me, I'm always with him._ The voice faded away before Synge could ask who she was, but he ignored it. He assumed it was someone Shadow knew and continued about his business.

Shadow looked with pride at his long-lost brother. "You might feel a little queasy. It's natural. Come on. There's a few people you should meet before we do anything together."

"Um…" Synge began. "Master Ivory. Can Master Ivory come with?"

For an agonizing minute, Shadow remained silent. He looked over at the aging rat. "If that is what he wants… he may come."

Synge looked hopefully at Ivory, but the rat quietly shook his head. "I have fulfilled my duty. I was just to make sure you weren't killed before your brother found you. Now he has found you and brought you back your Essence of Chaos. My job is done." The white rat paused and continued. "I am old, Synge. I will only slow you young ones down. My time has come."

The black and orange hedgehog gasped. "Ivory, you can't go! I need you!"

"No you don't. Your brother can take care of you and teach you what I cannot. As I said, I am old. Unless you don't want to go with him." The rat responded. Without a second word, he sat down and began meditating. "I will let you be with him a week. If after that you decide not to learn the Powers of Chaos, you may come back."

"Yes, Master Ivory." Synge nodded and bowed to his teacher.

"One more thing before you go. If you do come back, call me Ivory." The rat finished.

Shadow nodded and led his brother to the exit of the canyon. It took a while, and Synge's eyes stung when they found the sun, but they got to the top only for Sonic to knock Shadow to the wall while he was off-guard. Synge's jaw dropped and he glared at the speedy blue hero.

"HEY! What'd you do that for?" The young hedgehog snarled, crouching into his own fighting position.

Synge's fighting position was as follows; knees bent, feet apart and braced against the ground for leverage, back hunched, and hands completely flat, one arm bent in front of him so his mouth was concealed by his right forearm and the other straight out behind him.

"It was for his own good." Sonic explained. "Who are you?" He inquired, crouching into his own attack position.

The wind blew by the two, throwing sand onto the field. Three yards away, to the surprise of both hedgehogs, Shadow was already starting to get up.

There was an intimidating silence. Finally, Synge growled, "I am Synge the Hedgehog! You attacked my little brother!"

Shadow shook his head and pushed his upper body up off the ground. "Synge, stay out of it. Whatever I did to piss him off you shouldn't get hurt for." He groaned as he folded his legs under him and propelled himself into a standing position. His still mahogany fur rippled with the wind as he turned towards Sonic. "Leave him alone, Sonic. This is between you and me. One more thing." That was all he said. Then, he hit his top speed without his air shoes of one thousand miles per hour in two seconds and drilled Sonic in the chin with about one hundred pounds of pressure per square inch.

Synge flinched at the sound of the impact as Sonic landed ten yards away due to a thick pillar of stone. He groaned in pain and the ultimate life form walked over to him and lowered his body so his legs were bent and it looked like he was sitting on his thighs. He grabbed the blue hero's dislocated jaw with his other hand. "Never threaten my brother again." Shadow informed him levelly. With a smirk, he snapped, to Sonic's dismay and pain, the mandible back into place.

Shadow stood up slowly and grabbed Sonic's arm, helping him to his feet as well. "Dude, you really learned how to sock it to 'em." Sonic complimented, rubbing his throbbing jaw.

"You've improved, too. I didn't even hear you coming." Shadow replied, patting his back. "Well played."

"Thanks." Sonic paused. "So that's your big brother?"

"Yup." The ultimate life form answered nonchalantly, using his teeth to scrape some dirt out from under one of his claws.

"Shadow, you've changed a lot." Synge noticed. "Last time I saw you, you were only a kid. You're pelt turned brown, too. What happened to your highlights?"

"You'll find out later. Shadow, I need to get you to Tails right now." Sonic urged. He reached to grab his arm, but the young hedgehog pulled it away.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Why do I _need_ to go?"

"Trust me, dude. You want to go." The blue hero continued. "He knows something that'll make even your greasy quills curl."

"Greasy?" Shadow asked, offended. "Whaddya mean, greasy? I'll have you know that it isn't grease; it's hair gel. Something you never use." He snapped.

"Why I ought to…"

Sonic never had time to finish his sentence. At the same moment that he finished the word 'ought', Rouge came whistling by and tackled Shadow in the gut, knocking him on the ground. They landed with a thud and an 'Oof' from the brown hedgehog. She got up and he scrambled to his feet, glowering at her.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?" Shadow roared. Fire danced in his eyes as they narrowed.

Now, one would expect the average woman to recoil when given such a look from the ultimate life form. One would also expect Rouge to not be an average woman. One would be correct with both expectations. Even Synge was shocked by her reaction.

The white bat just stood eye-to-eye with Shadow and glared right back, unwavered and unabated. "_You_ are going to Tails whether you like it or not! It's for your own good!"

"MAKE ME!" Shadow shouted back defiantly.

Rouge smirked, then lowered her eyelids and grabbed his cheek tenderly. Shadow stopped glaring and got a confused look on his face. Sonic scratched his head, but Rouge motioned him to stay quiet. The blue hero looked at Synge and shrugged.

Then, Rouge did something even less suspected. She pulled Shadow's body close to hers and pressed her lips against his. The dark anti-hero's eyes widened, but then his eyelids lowered and he tasted an odd flavor at the back of his throat. Synge had to double take to make sure he saw what he was seeing: as Shadow tasted the bizarre tang, his legs bent and he fell to his knees, only conscious enough to be able to take orders and move his body. Whatever it was that had gotten into his mouth, he had swallowed enough of it to knock out his free spirit but not his body.

High above the four, the moon hid behind the clouds as they trekked to the workshop. Synge sped up to walk next to Rouge. "What did you do to my younger brother, anyway?"

"I had a tiny pouch of a special fluid Tails' developed under my tongue. The liquid was designed to sort of brainwash whoever ingested it. Tails made the pouch thick enough so it wouldn't burst in my mouth, but thin enough so all I needed to do was get it into Shadow's mouth and rub it against one of his fangs. As soon as that happened, gravity took control. It ran down to the back of his mouth along the top and dropped on his tongue and down his throat. As soon as it got into his bloodstream, he lost control of his free will. That's why we don't need anything to tie him up with or knock him out." Rouge explained, but then added, "It's only temporary."

"Okay. Because if this was permanent, I'd be pissed. I don't know any of the Chaos powers. He's the only one who can teach me what I can do." Synge explained.

For a while, they walked in silence, but then they heard a sound that chilled their spines and prickled their fur.

_GRRRRRRRRRRRR…_ it growled.

Rouge turned towards the nearby woods in horror as a big, red, wolf-like creature with golden eyes, shaggy fur, big teeth, and a very strong pair of jaws. It stood at a full height of ten feet and snarled at the young girl. She released a blood-curdling scream.

Just as the sound reached his ears, Shadow snapped back into reality and growled in response to the giant werewolf. He jumped high over the bat and stood in the werewolf's way, his tail swishing left and right as he arched his back and bared his teeth menacingly.

"Lay one claw on her and I'll tear you apart!" Came a scratchy, growling voice from the pit of his throat.

The werewolf smirked slyly and shook his head at Shadow. "You and what army?" It asked in a deep, aged voice.

"I don't need an army." Shadow snarled levelly. "But you will."

A quick, coughing sound came like rapid-fire from the creature's throat, and they assumed it was laughing. Shadow growled warningly as the clouds started drifting away from the moon.

Rouge noticed this and gasped. If the moonlight shone on either one of them, not only would their strength increase; Shadow would be impossible to control. Time was running out quickly. "SHADOW! Be careful! The moon!" She screamed.

Shadow's gaze averted and he looked up at the sky to see what she was talking about. The werewolf took its chance and tackled him, sending him crashing to the ground. It stood over him and tried to bite his neck. He slapped its head away and kicked at its stomach with two thick feet, hurting its tender belly until it finally got off him.

A heavy wind blew as the two cursed animals circled each other. Their arena was suddenly lit up with moonlight and they both transformed into the more powerful form of a werewolf, the lunar werewolf. Saliva dripped from Shadow's protruding fangs as he lifted his head and gave out a battle cry that sent shivers down everyone's spines.

The uncanny howl froze the other werewolf in its tracks. That was the cry of an experienced fighter. Shadow dropped to all fours and lunged at the other werewolf, snapping his jaws merely millimeters from its throat. With a frustrated growl, he slapped its jaw with a heavy right paw.

The werewolf staggered back from the blow and barked at Shadow. "Why do you waste your time protecting them? You are above them. They should be bowing before your power!"

"Go to hell!" Shadow snapped back, lunging at it again and knocking it to the ground as he slapped it again with his left paw.

Before the werewolf could get up again, Shadow felt a searing pain in his back. He backed off and howled in pain, turning his head to see what caused it. There, buried deep mere inches from his shoulder blade, was an arrow with an iron head. He grabbed it in his jaws and tore it out, ignoring the blood and snapping the shaft between his jaws.

Without a second thought, Shadow charged towards the werewolf and slipped under it, digging his claws into its belly. It howled in pain and sunk its teeth into his back right leg. In response, the ultimate life form slashed his left flank.

Blood dripped from the werewolf's fangs as it charged at Shadow, who quickly crouched down and leaped over it in the nick of time. While in the air, he kicked the werewolf's back, sending it crashing to the ground.

Pure hatred burned in the eyes of the beholder, and the very fires of hell stood still, for the anger in Shadow's soul was hotter than a supernova. "I've got a score to settle. You won't get to me like you did last time."

"Fool!" The werewolf growled in loath, shouting to the heavens. "I am Dark-Lunar-Pelt! The leader of the werewolves! No one werewolf can beat me!"

Shadow shook his head and barreled across the field, slamming his shoulder into Dark-Lunar-Pelt's jaw. "You may be strong, but that will not save you! YOU! WILL! PAY!"

"You have guts, I'll give you that, but you may as well lie down and let me kill you now!" Dark-Lunar-Pelt shouted tauntingly.

"I DON'T FORFEIT TO ANYONE!" Shadow roared in response, snapping his jaws down on Dark-Lunar-Pelt's left front leg and sliding his own body underneath, kicking the werewolf in a place it found extremely uncomfortable to be kicked at.

Dark-Lunar-Pelt screamed in pain and dropped to the left of Shadow's shoulder. The ultimate life form quickly got to his feet and wrapped his powerful jaws around the scruff of the werewolf's neck. With a smug sense of victory, he trotted over to the center of the clearing, dragging the werewolf with him.

Shadow pinned the werewolf down with his right paw and howled in victory. When he finished, he looked down at Dark-Lunar-Pelt and bared his teeth. "I told you before. I don't forfeit to anyone. Do you?"

"Never." Dark-Lunar-Pelt answered, persisting to resist.

"Fine. May God show you mercy, for I will not." Then, Shadow shot his head toward Dark-Lunar-Pelt's throat, snapped his jaws together and yanked them back, and it was all over.

Shadow quietly spat out the last bit of flesh and shook his head, licking the blood off his mouth and cleaning his claws on the dirt as he turned back to Sonic, Rouge, and Synge. His ribs flexed as he breathed in and out deeply, tilting his head to one side. "Are we going to Tails' workshop or not?" He asked nonchalantly, turning around and trotting off as clouds covered the moon again and he became a hedgehog again.

Without warning, the dark hedgehog double over in pain, clasping his chest. Rouge gasped and ran forward just in time to catch him falling. He looked at her weakly, his eyes fogged with pain. She looked at his hands and shrieked. Oozing slowly through his fingers was a crimson fluid that had the viscosity of honey mixed with vinegar. He fell to his knees and coughed thickly, spitting out a combination of saliva and blood. On the ground next to his right knee was what had caused the hole in his chest: a single steel arrow.

Rouge helped Shadow to his feet and threw his arm over her shoulder. Synge, realizing what had happened, ran forward and threw his brother's other arm over his shoulders. Synge looked worriedly at Sonic. "You run ahead and tell this 'Tails' guy what's happened." The Halloween-colored hedgehog ordered, helping the albino huntress carry his younger brother.

- - -

"See, I told you something bad would happen. He should have been brought straight to me. I could have cured him immediately." Tails ranted, digging through some bottles in a still-packed box, his tails twisting this way and that. "I can fix werewolf-ism in a heartbeat, but healing a pure steel arrow wound? Fah!" He jumped up on the table next to Shadow and opened his mouth. His breathing was ragged, his heartbeat faint, but he was alive and winced slightly at having to move. "Drink this."

He poured a liquid into Shadow's mouth and he gagged. But, persistent to stop the pain as soon as possible, he forced himself to swallow it. "I think… I just swallowed liquid sewer fumes." He let his head drop back and groaned. "That was the worst thing I've ever tasted."

"If you think that was nasty, wait till you taste this next one to dull the pain." Tails poured a liquid that looked discomfortingly like green urine and Shadow swallowed disgustedly.

"I agree." He choked. "What was that? Smurf piss?"

"Puréed poppy and coca leaves." Tails replied, looking for his werewolf serum.

Shadow felt his body getting numb and started seeing things. "Sonic, when did you grow an ostrich on your forehead?" He asked drowsily.

"You got him high!" Rouge shouted. "Oh my God!"

"Side-effect, side-effect. Aha!" Tails reached in a box and pulled out the syringe with the cure to werewolf-ism. He stuck the point into Shadow's shoulder and pushed it in. Suddenly, the hole in his chest sealed and the dark hedgehog regained his original coloration and attitude.

"Whoa. What happened? I feel like I've been in a coma for a week." Shadow looked around and stared at everyone surrounding him. "Rouge? Tails? When did you guys get back? Who's the black and orange guy? Why do I feel like I just got sober from a stoner-session? And why do I have the sudden craving for rare steak?" The questions practically shot out in one breath.

Synge blinked and looked down at Tails. "Um…"

"It's a side-effect. He won't remember a doggone thing until the pain killer wears off." The young fox explained. "In the mean time, you may as well answer his questions. Just get out of here. I have unpacking to do."

Rouge rolled her eyes. "Fine." Without another word, she grabbed Shadow's arm and dragged him outside, followed by Sonic and Synge.

- - -

A month later, things were back to normal. Then, one Friday, Sonic and Shadow were sitting in the park, playing chess and having a good chat. They were saying something about their girlfriends–Shadow's was Rouge, Sonic's was Amy.

Decoe and Bocoe came running up. "Sonic! Sonic! Sonic!" The shorter one shouted.

Sonic looked up absently and Shadow moved his rook to H6. "Checkmate."

"Sonic, you won't believe what Eggman plans to do three weeks ago!" Bocoe gasped.

Shadow looked up and rolled his eyes. "Oh, brother."

Decoe paused. "…Bocoe, do you realize what you just said?"

Sonic and Shadow looked at each other, shook their heads, and started laughing.

- - -

The end. Nuf said.


End file.
